Hydraulic-mining engineering method and apparatus



(No Model.) 8 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' A. M. RAWSON. HYDRAULIC MINING ENGINEERING'MBTHOD ANDAPPARATUS.

Patented Nov. 29, 1892.

HYDRAULIC MINING ENGINEERING METHOD AND APPARATUS.

2 t e e, h s W e e h S 3 N 0. S W A R M A u d 0 M 0 t a 33 a h w A wiflmowo if a (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

. A. M. RAWSON. HYDEAULIG MINING ENGINEERING METHOD AND APPARATUS.

No. 486,897. Patented Now 29, 1892.

I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ABEL M. RAWSON, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

HYDRAULIC-MINING ENGINEERING METHOD AND APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 486,897, dated November29, 1892.

Application filed May 28, I892. Serial No. 434,816- (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: I

' Be it known that I, ABEL M. RAWSON, of San Francisco, in the county ofSan Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Methods of and Apparatus for Hydraulic Mining;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,

and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in hydraulic mining; and its objectis to retain in the gorges in which such mining operations are conductedthe dbris from such operations which would otherwise be carried downinto the valleys below and cause great damage therein; and my inventionconsists more particularly in the methods and apparatus hereinafterspecified, and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of part of agorge, showing my improved apparatus and the mode of using the same.Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same in the earlierstages of the process, and Fig. 3 is a similar view in the later stagesthereof.

Having first selected a suitable location in the gorge at such adistance below the field of mining operations as will permit of thedeposition of the dbris which maybe expected to resulttherefrom, a stonedam Ais built across the gorge of about sixteen feet in height and ofsuificient strength to resist the pressure of a volume of water risingto its crown with catch-basins B, placed against its upper face,

opening five feet from the base of the dam.

The area of these catch-basins on a horizontal section should be atleast six times that of the water-conduits in use in mining,

thus giving ample facility for the permeation of water through thedbris. I

C are pipes perforating the dam and connecting with the catch-basins andshould be placed at a distance of not less than four feet below thecrown of the dam.

D is a large pipe or covered flume which may run under, through, or byeither end of the dam, its upper end being at the first operation upon alevel point with the pipes C. As the deposition of dbris proceedsadditional sections are added on at the upper end of the pipe. Theobject of this pipe is to carry off the clear water resting above theupper sloping surface of the dbris last deposited.

E is a relief pipe, flume,or ditch,which conveys the stream of the gorgeand all water intended for mining purposes when not in use beyond thedam. This pipe is used when for some cause it is not desired to use theclearwater pipe, as when it is necessary to clean the catch-basins B.The first operation after the construction of the dam is completed is tofill the catch-basins B with dbris to the proper height. This may beaccomplished by the ordinary action of the process of hydraulic mining,which impels the dbris, mingled with water, down the channel of thegorge until it is arrested in the catch-basins, provided that care istaken that the first deposits in the catch-basins be of such a'character.-as clear gravelas will permit of free percolationtherethrough. The gravel in the catch-basins will rise to a height h,while the clear water will rise to the level of the perforating-pipes Cand will be carried off through these pipes. After the dbris depositedin the gorge above the dam has reached a point parallel with the openingof the clear-water pipe D it is neces: sary to have recourse to theelevated fiume E. This fiume should be adjustable at such a point abovethe clear-water pipe D as will give the necessary pitch to discharge themingled water and dbris (marked m in the the earlier stages of theprocess it is necessary to add to the main flume E distributing branchesF in order to distribute the mingled dbris and water evenly at differentpoints transversely of the gorge, otherwise a full stream of mingledgravel and water pouring on toward the dam and confining itself to asingle channel would continue to deposit the dbris in the same location,so that its channel would be raised until in time its banks would beabove the level of the crown of the dam and the water would fiow overthe dam, there not being sufficient percolating-surface in a singlechannel to allow the water to sink into the control of the dam and bedrawn away by the catch-basins and their connecting-pipes. By dividingthis flow into smaller streams distributed in an arc of a circlesufficient percolatingsurface would be compassed to allow the water tofind its level, leaving the debris distributed near the point of itsfall from the distributing branches F. When, however, the dry barrier(marked d) becomes of suflicient strength to resist the force of thefull stream, the use of the distributing branches may be discontinued,as shown in Fig. 3; but in this case the direction and point ofdischarge of the service-flume E should be made adjustable so as topermit the even deposition of the dbris over the entire space betweenthe sides of the gorge and up to the level of its discharge; also, whenthis point'in the operation has been reached and when the dry barrierhas become sufficiently strong to resist the force of the full streamall manner of debris, sedimentary or otherwise, may be thrown againstthe barrier, which, as its density increases, will repel the greaterportion of the water, which will rise behind the slope of the barrieruntil the surface of the water comes above the opening of theclear-water pipe D,which will thus carry off nearly all of the waterused, leaving the debris deposited upon the slope of the barrier andupon the bottom of the gorge. As the barrier approaches the opening ofthe pipe other sections can be added thereto and the lower section ofthe flume E removed and conveyed to its upper end for future use whenrequired. This process can be repeated until the barrier reaches thatpoint in the gorge Where the mining operations were conducted. The widthof the gorge having been increased by such mining operations, thispermits of a larger area to receive the deposits of mining operationscarried on at a higher point in the gorge, and such deposits will occupythe place of the dbris previously removed in earlier operations.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an apparatus for hydraulic mining in gorges, the combination of adam extending across the gorge below the mining operations with a pipeor conduit extending longitudinally of the gorge, its receiving endbeing above the dam and its discharging end below the same, andadditional pipe-sections adapted to be secured at the upper end of saidpipe to extend the same as required, substantially as described.

2. In an apparatus for hydraulic mining in gorges, the combination of adam extending across the gorge below the mining operations with a pipeor conduit extending longitudinally of the gorge, its receiving endbeing above the dam and its discharging end below the same, and anelevated supply flume or conduit discharging above said dam,substantially as described.

3. In an apparatus for hydraulic mining in gorges, the combination of adam extending across the gorge below the mining operations with a pipeor conduit extending longitudinally of the gorge, its receiving endbeing above the dam and its discharging end below the same, and anelevated sectional supply flume or conduit discharging above said dam,substantially as described.

4. In an apparatus for hydraulic mining in gorges, the combination of adam extending across the gorge below the mining operations with a pipeor conduit extending longitudinally of the gorge, its receiving endbeing above the dam and its discharging end below the same, an elevatedsupply flume or conduit, and distributing branch flumes dis-v chargingabove the dam, substantially as described.

5. In an apparatus for hydraulic mining in gorges, the combination of adam extending across the gorge below the mining operations withcatch-basins open at the bottom abutting against the face of the dam,said dam having perforations leading from the catchbasins, substantiallyas described.

6. In an apparatus for hydraulic mining in gorges, the combination of adam extending across the gorge below the mining operations withcatch-basins open at the bottom abutting against the face of the dam,said dam having perforations leading from the catchbasins, and a pipeextending longitudinally of the gorge, its receiving end being above thedam and its discharging end below the same, substantially as described.

7. In an apparatus for hydraulic mining in gorges, the combination ofa'dam extending across the gorge below the mining operations withcatch-basins open at the bottom abutting against the face of the dam,said dam having perforations leading from the catchbasins, a pipeextending longitudinally of the gorge, its receiving end being above thedam and its discharging end belowthe same, and

an elevated supply flume or conduit and dis tributing branch flumesdischarging above the dam, substantially as described.

8. In an apparatus for hydraulic mining in gorges, the combination of adam extending across the gorge below the mining operations with a pipeor conduit extending longitudinally of the gorge, its receiving endbeing above the dam and its discharging endbelow the same, an elevatedsupply flume or conduit discharging above said dam, and a reliefpipedischarging below said dam, substantially as described.

9. 1n hydraulic mining in gorges, the process which consists inarresting mingled dbris and water resulting from the mining operations,permanently retaining the earthy matter in the gorge, while allowing thewater to flow down into the valley below, the above steps of the processbeing accomplished by artificial means, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

10. In hydraulic mining in gorges, the artificial process which consistsin arresting the mingled dbris in the water resulting from 486,897 a v smining operations, permanently retaining the In testimony whereof I havesigned this earthy matter to form a barrier across the specification inthe presence of two subscribgorge, discharging the mingled dbris and ingwitnesses.

water upon the barrier, and carrying off the ABEL M. RAWSON. 5 clearwater which accumulates above said- Witnesses:

barrier, substantially as and for the purpose F. J. WILCOX,

set forth. H. O. DILLEY.

